this is a rather personal question, but here goes. Its possible I have a yeast infection. Is it possible to get treatment from a street chemist, Medical stand, or is that more for oral medication. Any advice is very much appreciated.

Indiamike Phenomenon... All the Ladies' personal questions will be answered by men. It always happens!

Speaking of men, almost all the pharmacies I've ever seen are staffed by them. I suggest (if you want something stronger than yoghurt) you visit a doctor. Whilst any doctor should be better than trying to explain to some guy at a pharmacy, you can talk to specialists in a private hospital for just a few hundred rupees.

No arguments, but the if the lady does need to consult someone, it had better be a doc rather than some young guy in a pharmacy shop who will dole out an antibiotic because that's what he does for everything.

Gosh, I remember the days when a standup comedienne only had to say, "What? Put yoghurt on it?" to get a good laugh

Yes there is a treatment that you can buy from the chemist and is dirt cheap and worked as well as Diflucan a $25.00 treatment we get here in Canada....but I can't remember the name of it just ask for vaginal fungal treatment when I said yeast infection I didn't get far than the chemist said "oh fungal infection yes yes yes "
Hope you find it and feel better soon !

The active ingredient of the common drugs administered in the West for yeast infections is: "fluconazole". It is usually taken orally. (Though there are vaginal cures also).

Ask at a pharmacy and check the box (if there is any :-S) whether the ingredient is in there. Or just buy what he gives you (it's probably cheaper than a coffe at Barista's anyway) and google the brand name to check whether you got the right stuff before taking the medicine.

Otherwise: I'd go with Nick-H's advise. This type of annoying condition is well worth the few 100 Rs the doctor would max. charge you to make sure you got the right stuff right away and not waste days in discomfort.

this is a rather personal question, but here goes. Its possible I have a yeast infection. Is it possible to get treatment from a street chemist, Medical stand, or is that more for oral medication. Any advice is very much appreciated.

You can get Yeast infection medication from a medicine shop. Yes, The staff are almost always men but I have never felt awkward in buying any kind of medicine/hygine products there.

If you are unsure, visit a gyn. It will cost you Rs 400-500max - even in a reputed private hospital. She will prescribe meds. You would then have to buy those meds from a medicine shop.

Hello--female here. I would see a gynecologist even in you know it is a yeast infection so you can get a prescription for what you need.

The problem is not that the staff at the drug store is all male; the problem is that, for me, their English is very limited. They may also not be able to understand your accent. I know many Indians who have trouble understanding my American accent even though they can speak/understand Indian English (this is changing though because the younger generations watch American tv/movies a lot). If the main pharmacist or staff speak English well, then they can show you a range of products. I think it depends where you are in India (city vs. small town). They may only show you one or two choices, too!

In any case, if you are travelling and are not in your comfort zone, I would not recommend home remedies. See a doctor. It is not expensive (only a few hundred rupees as mentioned by another poster). My gyno works in two places. She has patients in a big hospital and in a smaller clinic. When I see her in the small clinic, I am charged Rs. 400 for the visit.

Obviously, since you don't need a prescription for strong medicines, it can be very dangerous to just take what the pharmacy staff suggests to you.

It is the easiest and obviously most "politically" correct answer to suggest to see a gynecologist in this situation. However, this is just an immediate solution for OP's question that she asked. It is not the best solution for her actual condition though.

The reasoning behind the use of yoghurt (though ridiculed here) is: The use of antibiotics is the agreed single-most important cause of candidiasis, mentioned by every medical authority. The problem is that anibiotics also wipe out the beneficial microbes, which imbalance causes others to grow rapidly. A gynecologist will have no other option than just to prescribe some form of antibiotic (an anti-fungal is also an antibiotic, but there are also helpful fungi in our bodies), which may help in the short term, but makes things worse in the long run. (The use of anti-malarials may also be a factor.)

Yoghurt, however, helps the beneficial microbes to bring them in balance again with the unwanted ones, and in this way solving the problem in an harmonious way, instead of an aggressive, short-term one. In addition its use also raises the ph-level in the mucus-membrane, another beneficial effect. Certainly, other factors have to be considered as well: diet, avoidance of soap, stress, type of underwear, friction etc.

On the topic of microbes in our bodies here is an interesting article

Quote:

Scientists are regularly blown away by the complexity, power, and sheer number of microbes that live in our bodies. “We have over 10 times more microbes than human cells in our bodies,” said George Weinstock of Washington University in St. Louis. But the microbiome, as it’s known, remains mostly a mystery. “It’s as if we have these other organs, and yet these are parts of our bodies we know nothing about.”

Dr. Weinstock is part of an international effort to shed light on those puzzling organs. He and his colleagues are cataloging thousands of new microbe species by gathering their DNA sequences. Meanwhile, other scientists are running experiments to figure out what those microbes are actually doing. They’re finding that the microbiome does a lot to keep us in good health. Ultimately, researchers hope, they will learn enough about the microbiome to enlist it in the fight against diseases.

I agree with Nayan as no matter how great natural cures may be, in this case antibiotics [WRONG! See comment below.] work wonders and reliefs one from the nastiness in one day usually, exactly what you need when traveling.

But, Atala, just out of curiosity: how does one exactly go about inserting yoghurt? The only ways I can think of are using a syringe and dipping a tampon in yoghurt and inserting it.

Originally Posted by OneTightSlapin this case antibiotics work wonders and reliefs one from the nastiness in one day usually, exactly what you need when traveling.

no offense, but recommending antibiotics for a yeast infection?!?

antibiotics can CAUSE yeast infections!

My India Photos, 2005-2017"When you are truly genuine there will invariably be people who do not accept you.﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿ And in that case, you must be your own badass self, without apology." -- Katie Goodman

Originally Posted by OneTightSlapBut, Atala, just out of curiosity: how does one exactly go about inserting yoghurt? The only ways I can think of are using a syringe and dipping a tampon in yoghurt and inserting it.